Allocative Efficiency and Returns to Scale among Fadama II Broiler Farmers in Imo State, Nigeria

This study investigated the efficiency of resource use and Returns to Scale among broiler farmers in Imo State. Data were collected through a multi-stage sampling from 50 broiler farmers in the State with the aid of structured questionnaire. Data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Efficiency Index, Elasticity of Production technique and the Ordinary Least Square Regression model. The results from this study showed that 68% of the respondents engaged in farming as their primary occupation with mean age of 47.1 years and mean farm size of 563 birds. The farmers made an average Net Revenue of N291,192.10 with 66Kobo Return on Investment. Medication (significant at 1%), farm size (significant at 5%), feed and other inputs (significant at 1%) were the major factors affecting broiler output. The farmers operated at increasing Returns to Scale with 1.1408 Elasticity of Production (EP). It was concluded that broiler enterprise among the Fadama II farmers in Imo State is profitable but there is inefficiency in resource allocation. It was therefore recommended that the farmers either keep labour constant and increase their farm size or keep the farm size constant and decrease their use of labour input for increased profitability of their enterprises. Keywords: Allocative efficiency, Returns to Scale, broiler production, Fadama II farmer

Pharmacological treatment and staging in bipolar disorder: evidence from clinical practice

Objectives:Staging models for medical diseases are widely used to guide treatment and prognosis. Bipolar disorder (BD) is a chronic condition and it is among the most disabling disorders in medicine. The staging model proposed by Kapczinski in 2009 presents four progressive clinical stages of BD. Our aim was to evaluate pharmacological maintenance treatment across these stages in patients with BD.Methods:One hundred and twenty-nine subjects who met DSM-IV criteria for BD were recruited from the Bipolar Disorders Program at Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Brazil. All patients were in remission. The subjects were classified according to the staging model: 31 subjects were classified as stage I, 44 as stage II, 31 as stage III, and 23 as stage IV.Results:Patterns of pharmacological treatment differed among the four stages (p = 0.001). Monotherapy was more frequent in stage I, and two-drug combinations in stage II. Patients at stages III and IV needed three or more medications or clozapine. Impairment in functional status (Functioning Assessment Short Test [FAST] scale scores) correlated positively with the number of medications prescribed.Conclusions:This study demonstrated differences in pharmacological treatment in patients with stable BD depending on disease stage. Treatment response can change with progression of BD. Clinical guidelines could consider the staging model to guide treatment effectiveness

Utilization of some non-edible oil for biodiesel production

In this work, the production of biodiesel from four sources of non-edible oils, namely jatropha, animal fat, waste vegetable oil and castor oil was carried out. It was done using an acid esterification process followed by alkali transesterification in the laboratory. Subsequently the physicochemical properties for four blends B100, B80, B50 and B20 were determined to establish their adherence to the ASTM standard for biodiesel. The percentage yields of the biodiesel from jatropha, animal fats, waste vegetable oil and castor oil were 98, 85, 95 and 90 % respectively. Highest density value was 0.8870g/cm3 for jatropha (B100), while lowest density of 0.8502 g/cm3 /cm3 was obtained from animal fats (B20). The highest value of flash point was 179oC for jatropha (B100), while the lowest flash point was 102oC for animal fats (B20). Viscosity values ranged from 5.254mm2/s for animal fats (B100) to 2.891mm2/s for castor oil (B20), the lowest pour point was -9oC for castor oil (B20), while the highest pour point was 15oC for animal fats (B100). All the physicochemical properties examined in this study were within the ASTM standard range apart from the flash point for animal (B20) which was below the standard range.Keywords: non-edible oil, Jatropha, biodiesel, Alternative fuel, physio-chemical propertie

Determinants of informal credit delinquency among food crop farmers in rural niger delta of Nigeria

The study examined the determinants of informal credit delinquencies among food crop farmers in rural Niger Delta of Nigeria using Akwa Ibom State as a case study. A multi-stage random sampling technique was adopted to select 96 beneficiaries and structured questionnaires as well as personal interview were used to collect data. Probit and logit models were used to analyse the factors influencing credit delinquency among food crop farmers in the state. Result of the descriptive analysis of the socio-economic characteristic of respondents revealed that 93% of male and 72% of female food crop farmers had one form of formal education ranging from primary to tertiary education. Empirical result from the Probit and logit models were similar and showed that borrower’s non-farm income, credit amount received, household size, net farm profit and farm size are determinants of credit delinquencies among food crop farmers in Akwa Ibom state. The study also discovered that the probability of food crop farmers being credit delinquent is about 0.427 ceteris paribus. It is recommended that food crop farmers should form marketing co-operative societies as a means of generating additional income to augment loan obtained. Furthermore, local government authorities should set up credit programmes that should focus on soft loans to rural farmers at a subsidize interest rate

DETERMINANTS OF INFORMAL CREDIT DELINQUENCY AMONG FOOD CROP FARMERS IN RURAL NIGER DELTA OF NIGERIA

The study examined the determinants of informal credit delinquencies among food crop farmers in rural Niger Delta of Nigeria using Akwa Ibom State as a case study. A multi-stage random sampling technique was adopted to select 96 beneficiaries and structured questionnaires as well as personal interview were used to collect data. Probit and logit models were used to analyse the factors influencing credit delinquency among food crop farmers in the state. Result of the descriptive analysis of the socio-economic characteristic of respondents revealed that 93% of male and 72% of female food crop farmers had one form of formal education ranging from primary to tertiary education. Empirical result from the Probit and logit models were similar and showed that borrower’s non-farm income, credit amount received, household size, net farm profit and farm size are determinants of credit delinquencies among food crop farmers in Akwa Ibom state. The study also discovered that the probability of food crop farmers being credit delinquent is about 0.427 ceteris paribus. It is recommended that food crop farmers should form marketing co-operative societies as a means of generating additional income to augment loan obtained. Furthermore, local government authorities should set up credit programmes that should focus on soft loans to rural farmers at a subsidize interest rate

Heavy Metal Contamination of Foods by Refuse Dump Sites in Awka, Southeastern Nigeria

The impact of heavy metals from refuse dumps on soil, food, and water qualities in Awka, Nigeria was studied. Soil samples (top and 1.35 m deep) were collected from five refuse dumps digested with conc. HNO3 and HClO4. The heavy metals (lead, manganese, arsenic, chromium, cadmium, and nickel) in vegetables (spinach, fluted pumpkin), root crop (cocoyam), and surface and ground water were determined using an atomic absorption spectrophotometer (AAS). Chemical properties of the soil and bacteria were determined. Heavy metals were found to be more concentrated at a depth of 1.35 m. Manganese was high in shallow wells and borehole water samples with the highest levels as 0.538 and 0.325 mg/l, respectively. Nickel levels in the borehole sample ranged from 0.001 to 0.227 mg/l, whereas the highest level of lead was 0.01 mg/l. The Obibia stream had the highest levels of manganese and lead. Linear regression analyses showed that the relationship between soil heavy metals and farm produce heavy metals was strong. Taken together, we may conclude that the consumption of leafy vegetables and crops produced on contaminated soils may pose a health risk to those that reside around the refuse dumps

Technical and Economic Efficiencies in Poultry Production in Imo State, Nigeria

This study was carried out to estimate the technical and economic efficiencies of poultry farmers in Imo State, Nigeria. The data was collected with semi-structured questionnaire from 140 randomly selected poultry farmers. A stochastic frontier production function was estimated by using the maximum likelihood estimation technique to obtain the technical and economic efficiencies of poultry farmers. The mean technical efficiency of poultry farmers was 75 percent, while their mean economic efficiency was 21 percent. The generalized likelihood test indicated that, the poultry farmers are not fully technically and economically efficient in resource use. There is 79% allowance to increase economic efficiency of poultry farmers by improvement in technical efficiency

Acid rain phenomenon in Niger Delta region of Nigeria: Economic, biodiversity, and public health concern, The Scientific World

. Awka, a "non-oil" city was used as control. Samples were collected from three points, using clean plastic basins fastened to a table, 2 m above ground level and 115 m away from tall buildings and trees. Water samples were filtered and acidity determined using digital pH meter. The results show that the rain samples were acidic. The pH values for the 2 years under study show that the rainfall in Warri was more acidic than that of Port Harcourt. Oil exploration and other anthropogenic sources may be responsible for the acid rain in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria